    [Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 40, Number 7 (Monday, February 16, 2004)]
    [Pages 209-210]
    [Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

    <R04>
    The President's Radio Address

    February 7, 2004

        Good morning. The past few weeks have confirmed that America's
    economy is strong and growing stronger. The Nation's unemployment rate
    fell to 5.6 percent in January, the fourth consecutive monthly decline,
    and we added 112,000 new jobs, the largest single month increase since
    December of 2000. Overall, the Nation has added 366,000 jobs in the past
    5 months.
        There's more evidence of a strengthening economy. Manufacturers
    report new orders. GDP rose at a 6.1 percent in the second half of 2003,
    the fastest pace in nearly 20 years. Inflation remains low, and our
    Nation's homeownership rate just reached an alltime high. For the first
    time in our history, more than half of minority households own their own
    homes.
        All of these are signs that our economic recovery is becoming a
    lasting expansion. Yet many of the new jobs being created require
    workers to learn new skills, and we can make sure that more Americans
    are prepared for these new opportunities.
        Our efforts begin in our elementary schools, where students learn
    the basic skills that carry them through life. With the No Child Left
    Behind Act, we have raised standards, and we're making sure children
    learn the basics. Now we need to stay the course of reform, because the
    No Child Left Behind Act is opening the door of opportunity for all of
    America's children.
        We must also help high school students to prepare for the new jobs
    our economy is creating. I've asked Congress to pass my Jobs for the
    21st Century proposal, a plan that would help students who fall behind
    in reading and math, expand advanced placement programs in low-income
    schools and provide larger Pell grants for students who prepare for
    college with demanding courses in high school.
        We also recognize that many workers change jobs in the middle of
    their careers, and they often get the training they need at community
    colleges. I have asked Congress to provide $250 million to community
    colleges to help Americans get the skills they need for high-growth
    fields. Over the last several weeks, I have met with men and women who
    are studying at these colleges and are on their way to better careers.
        Toledo, Ohio, I met with Mike Potter. After getting laid off in
    March 2003, Mike enrolled at Owens Community College's integrated
    systems technology program, which is supported by a Department of Labor
    grant. Mike got a new job soon and is earning more than he did before.
    Here is what Mike told me: ``People don't want to see a person with just
    one skill anymore. They want several skills.''
        My administration is committed to helping more people like Mike
    learn the skills they need. And we will continue pursuing a progrowth
    economic agenda so that every person who wants to work can find a job.
        We'll help create more jobs in America by making tax relief
    permanent, by enforcing spending discipline and reducing the deficit, by
    enacting commonsense reforms to our regulatory and legal systems, by
    taking steps to make health care more affordable and accessible, by
    passing a national energy policy, and by opening up more foreign markets
    for trade. Taking these steps will add momentum to our Nation's economic
    expansion and extend jobs and prosperity to more Americans.
        I'm optimistic about our future, and one reason is because of
    America's workers and entrepreneurs. They are talented and hardworking,
    and they carry with them the spirit that has always made America a place
    of hope and opportunity.
        Thank you for listening.

    Note: The address was recorded at 11 a.m. on February 6 in the Cabinet
    Room at the White House for broadcast at 10:06 a.m. on February

    [[Page 210]]

    7. The transcript was made available by the Office of the Press
    Secretary on February 6 but was embargoed for release until the
    broadcast. The Office of the Press Secretary also released a Spanish
    language transcript of this address.